EC must protect and defend the right of citizens to register to vote without any hindrance

EC must protect and defend the right of citizens to register to vote without any hindrance

Global Bersih condemns the misuse of regulation to eliminate phantom voters, to prevent the registration of genuine voters, and calls on the Electoral Commission (EC) to defend the right of citizens to register to vote without any hindrance. A large number of objections to registrations by new voters in Selangor, averaging about 100 cases a day, has been highlighted by Bersih 2.0 which has called on the Electoral Commission (EC) to provide urgent answers to the questions raised.

These objections are made under Regulation 15 of the Elections (Registration of Electors) Regulations 2002 which is meant to eliminate phantom voters in a particular constituency. The blatant misuse of the Regulation to curtail the rights of genuine voters is aggravated by the observed failure of the ‘Pembantah’ (Objectors) – several of which who submit objections against the registration of new voters repeatedly – to appear nor ask any questions during the voter verification inquiry.

Global Bersih’s president Bala Chelliah stated:

“We are appalled by the gross injustice that has been done to newly registered voters that is clearly meant to disenfranchise them, and more importantly, by the deliberate obstacles put in the way of the citizens’ access to the right to vote. We call on the EC to urgently take steps against the perpetrators responsible for impeding the citizen’s constitutional right to register and vote in the upcoming GE14.”

At the same time, Global Bersih urges the EC, once again to extend the rights to voter registration to include not only students studying overseas but all overseas Malaysians in their respective embassies.

GE14 Checklist

Jom Balik Undi

The Warsaw Declaration (2000)

The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government, as expressed by the exercise of the right and civic duties of citizens to choose their representatives through regular, free and fair elections with universal and equal suffrage, open to multiple parties, conducted by secret ballot,monitored by independent electoral authorities,and free of fraud and intimidation.